Popcorn and Matinees on the Undulating Curve of Shifting Expectations!

Pumped about Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End? Salivating for Shrek the Third? Remember, summer is the season of dashed expectations—and don’t think you can outwit the Curve. You might try to temper your hopes for 28 Weeks Later, but then you’ll secretly believe you’re going to be pleasantly surprised. Wrong! You got Curved! Elsewhere: Away From Her vaults Sarah Polley from indie-darling actor to indie-darling director; Spring Awakening grabs 11 Tony nominations, meaning virgin audiences might find it anticlimactic; and Spider-Man 3 proves a rare Curve buster: the reviews are bad, word-of-mouth is dismal, yet we still trudge dutifully to the theater, as though tithing at a church.